


Not all those who wander are lost

by Philosoferre



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Grocery Shopping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 06:36:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8613088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philosoferre/pseuds/Philosoferre
Summary: “We’re lost,’ Grantaire runs a hand through his hair and passes Enjolras his phone. ‘Call Eponine, will you? She’ll know what to do.”Eponine picks up a second later.“Get lost,” She says.“We already are,” Grantaire replies.There’s a moment of silence.“What?” Eponine asks.Grantaire sighs loudly, “We took a wrong turn on our way back from Costco, and now we’re lost.”-Enjolras and Grantaire go grocery shopping, and that means something's bound to happen.





	

“Your fridge is empty,” Courfeyrac says.

 

Enjolras hums in response from his spot on his couch. He’s too busy writing his speech for their next meeting to care. (Not that he ever cares if he’s out of food.)

 

“You should go grocery shopping,” Courfeyrac says, plopping down on the armchair.

 

“I have food,” Enjolras protests.

 

Courfeyrac raises an eyebrow, “Honey, the only thing you have is a box of pop tarts with a shelf life longer than yours, and I don’t think that really counts.”

 

“Not true. I have coffee.”

 

“Coffee is a beverage,’ Courfeyrac counters. ‘Just go buy some food, will you?”

 

Enjolras sighs. It’s not that he hates grocery shopping…actually, that’s a lie, he can’t stand it. It’s just that, when you’re trying to save the world from corruption and liberate people, you’re too busy for silly things like grocery shopping. But on some degree, he does appreciate Courfeyrac’s concern for the lack of food in his flat, so he relents.

 

“Fine,” he mutters.

 

Courfeyrac smiles.

 

~

 

When Enjolras goes to the Musain the next morning, he’s greeted by an enthusiastic Joly.

 

“So I heard you need to go grocery shopping,” he says.

 

Before Enjolras can reply, Joly unfolds a piece of paper he had in his coat pocket and flattens it against the table.

 

“I’ve compiled a list of all the necessary foods you need to buy,’ he explains. ‘You know, stuff that’s actually healthy for you, and not…not _pop tarts_.”

 

“Go on,” Enjolras sighs.

 

He knows he doesn’t really have a say in this.

 

Joly looks pleased, “Obviously, I wrote down fruits and vegetables, such as apples and kale, and oranges, because you’ve been completely deprived of vitamin C.”

 

“Kale’s that leafy green stuff, right?” Enjolras asks.

 

Joly gives him a horrified expression and shakes his head, as if he can’t quite grasp the idea that there are people who don’t know what kale is. Enjolras takes the list from his hands.

 

“I don’t know what half of these are,’ he says. ‘They _do_ have signs at the grocery store, right? To tell you what everything is?”

 

Joly sighs, “Oy vey.”

 

~

 

“Meeting dismissed,” Enjolras says.

 

Technically, it isn’t, but he’s so tired of arguing with Grantaire (over whether Alexander the Great and Hephaestion were actually lovers, of all things- he doesn’t even remember how they got to that).

 

“Actually, I have something to add,” Courfeyrac says.

 

“Yes?” Enjolras asks.

 

Courfeyrac stands up and looks at the Amis.

 

“Enjolras needs someone to go grocery shopping with him on Friday because he’s really bad with directions and he hates going shopping alone.”

 

Enjolras frowns, “It doesn’t matter if I’m bad at directions, Courf, there’s a store within walking distance from my flat.”

 

Courfeyrac raises a finger, “True, but Costco is an hour away.”

 

“Costco?’ Enjolras asks. ‘What does Costco have to do with this?”

 

“You’re going to go to Costco because they have those weird chips you like.”

 

“So why can’t you or Ferre come with me?”

 

“Because…,” Courfeyrac scans the room. ‘Grantaire!”

 

Grantaire jumps in his seat and looks at Courfeyrac, blue eyes wide.

 

“You don’t have classes on Friday,” Courfeyrac grins.

 

“I don’t,” Grantaire agrees slowly.

 

“And you have a car, and a Costco membership.”

 

“Yes?” Grantaire sounds completely confused.

 

(To be honest, so is Enjolras.)

 

Courfeyrac clasps his hands together, “Great, you can go grocery shopping with Enj! Be at his flat at noon.”

 

“Umm, I-uhh…okay,” Grantaire says.

 

Enjolras wonders if he’ll ever get a say in his own life. The answer is probably no.

 

~

 

Friday, as is always the case, comes much too quickly for Enjolras’ liking. It’s 11:59 and he’s still getting dressed. He doesn’t normally put this much effort into an outfit, but this is Grantaire, and for some reason he feels that everything he does around him has to be precise, immaculate. It definitely has nothing to do with his crush.

 

After finally deciding on a pair of ripped jeans (this _is_ a casual thing, right?), he runs outside the building, hoping to be there early, and sighs dejectedly when he sees Grantaire leaning against his car, a cigarette between his fingers.

 

“I never thought I’d see the day when you’d arrive on time,” Enjolras says with an air of indifference.

 

Grantaire smirks, “And I never thought you’d be late.”

 

“I’m not late, because Courf said to be here at noon, and that means around twelve,” Enjolras sniffs.

 

Grantaire rolls his eyes, “Just shup up and get in the car.”

 

 _Make me_ , Enjolras thinks. _Shut me up, Grantaire. Kiss me until I can’t talk._

 

He just snorts and does as he’s told. Grantaire takes the driver’s seat and hands Enjolras a piece of paper.

 

“Those are the directions to get to Costco,’ he says. ‘Don’t mess them up.”

 

Enjolras rolls his eyes, “I’m not _that_ bad.”

 

“You better not be.”

 

Their conversation comes to an end as Grantaire turns the radio on. Enjolras turns his head to look out the window, at the bustling city and the distant mountains. He barely pays attention to whatever song is currently playing, absorbed in his own thoughts.

 

“Why don’t you like shopping alone?” Grantaire asks.

 

Enjolras looks over at him, softly illuminated by the sunlight. He shrugs.

 

“I feel like everyone’s judging me, you know?”

 

Grantaire nods, eyes focused on the road, “Yeah, it gets worse when your roommate’s a girl who can’t buy her own things.”

 

Enjolras hums. He doesn’t really think Grantaire minds buying all of Eponine’s things, because if he did, he would’ve told her. Grantaire’s a good roommate. He smiles to himself, and then his mind decides to betray him and imagine them sharing an apartment. He wonders how Grantaire looks in the morning, how his voice sounds when he’s just woken up...but now isn’t the time to think about such things. This was a friendly thing, just two pals going grocery shopping together.

 

Except they aren’t exactly ‘pals’, and Enjolras keeps wondering what it’d be like to go grocery shopping if they were dating.

 

But, seriously, it’s just going _grocery shopping_ , of all things. Buying food. There’s nothing remotely romantic about the endeavor- they’d just be walking around in Costco, putting stuff into a shopping cart and trying not to be too awkward about it.

 

Enjolras sighs and looks down at the paper in his hands, traces the words as he checks the road signs to make sure they’re actually going the right way. It hasn’t even really begun, but he wants it to be over already.

 

~

 

“What’s next?” Grantaire asks, placing a box of blueberries in the cart.

 

(Enjolras definitely doesn’t think about the fact that they weren’t on the list, he doesn’t even _like_ them, and that Grantaire just put them in the cart because he wanted to. Well, he tries. He should get a sticker for effort.)

 

“Radishes,” he says, and then frowns. ‘That’s a vegetable, right?”

 

“No, it’s a highly addictive drug,” Grantaire says sarcastically.

 

Enjolras tucks the list in his pocket, “Be serious.”

 

“I’m wild,” Grantaire replies, voice dangerously low.

 

Enjolras’ brain short-circuits, and he just stands there, gripping the shopping cart, until Grantaire takes it away from him. He doesn’t know where the radishes are (or what they look like) anyways, so it’s a good thing Grantaire’s ahead of him. The only downside is that he’s already walked into seven people because he was staring at him. Oh, well. They could use a navigation system in here.

 

~

 

“Eponine has a new boyfriend?” Enjolras asks.

 

Grantaire nods as he reaches up to grab a box of Lucky Charms. Enjolras totally doesn’t blush when his shirt rides up a bit.

 

“I guess you could say that,’ Grantaire says. ‘Their relationship is more like a ‘friends with benefits’ sort of thing. They met a few weeks ago, had a one-night stand, and haven’t really stopped since.”

 

“She should bring him to a meeting.”

 

Grantaire tosses the cereal box in the shopping cart and shrugs, “I don’t know, he’s not that great of a guy. He insulted my cats. And he gives off that capitalist vibe, so you’d probably hate him.”

 

“Wait, you have cats?”

 

Grantaire stares at Enjolras, “Yeah. Patroclaws and Apollo.”

 

“Since when?”

 

“Two years ago, I think.”

 

Enjolras blinks, “You never told me you had cats.”

 

“I’m pretty sure I did. At least forty times. Because my cats are my babies and I talk about them on a daily basis.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Enjolras should really pay more attention to what he says from now on. Grantaire pats his shoulder.

 

“It’s fine, even Eponine forgets about them from time to time. What’s next?”

 

Enjolras offers a small smile as he takes out the list. Grantaire returns it.

 

“Cheese puffs- per Courf’s request,’ he says, walking comfortably beside Grantaire, who has taken hold of the shopping cart. ‘What kind of name is Patroclaws, anyways?”

 

Grantaire laughs, “It’s a pun, actually. You know, Patroclus? He and my cat are equally dorky and bad at everything that requires the ability to properly function.”

 

Enjolras bumps his shoulder lightly, “I’m sure your cat’s not _that_ dorky.”

 

“Really? We’ll see if you’ll stick to your opinion when I tell you what he did yesterday…”

 

~

 

By the time they finish their shopping spree, and they’re loading all the groceries into Grantaire’s car, Enjolras is in an incredibly good mood. They had managed to be civil with each other for more than a few minutes, and he’s starting to believe that, maybe, they could have a decent and normal friendship going. That’s still a longshot, but he’s always been an idealist, so he hopes it’ll happen.

 

As he puts the last of the groceries in the car, Enjolras smiles at Grantaire. He smiles back.

 

Well, maybe this whole friendship thing won’t be too hard to achieve.

 

~

 

“I’m supposed to turn left here, right?” Grantaire asks.

 

Enjolras waves his hand dismissively and shifts a bit in his seat, “Yeah.”

 

He’s not actually sure, but the road looks the same as it did on their way to Costco.

 

(Then again, all the roads around them look the exact same. He’s just hoping he chose the right one.)

 

Grantaire relaxes a bit, and once they’re on the highway, he turns the radio on. Their silence isn’t uncomfortable, which Enjolras is thankful for. The last thing he had wanted was for this to be awkward.

 

He closes his eyes, basking in the afternoon sun, and lets Carly Rae Jepsen fade into a background noise.

 

~

 

“Uhh, I don’t remember passing cows on our way to Costco,” Grantaire says suddenly.

 

Enjolras opens his eyes and yawns, observing their surroundings. He doesn’t remember much cows, either.

 

“Neither do I,’ he murmurs. ‘Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere?”

 

Grantaire takes the paper from him and glances at it. He frowns.

 

“Enjolras, we didn’t just take a wrong turn, we went in the opposite direction.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean,’ Grantaire sighs. ‘We’re so lost. We took a left turn instead of a right, and then…well, we’re lost.”

 

“Lost? We’re not lost. We just need to find our way back.”

 

“We’re lost,’ Grantaire runs a hand through his hair and passes Enjolras his phone. ‘Call Eponine, will you? She’ll know what to do.”

 

Enjolras still can’t grasp the idea that they’re lost, even though it was bound to happen at some point, considering he’s awful with directions. He trusts Grantaire, though, so he does as he’s told.

 

Eponine picks up a second later.

 

“Get lost,” She says.

 

“We already are,” Grantaire replies.

 

There’s a moment of silence.

 

“What?” Eponine asks.

 

Grantaire sighs loudly, “We took a wrong turn on our way back from Costco, and now we’re lost.”

 

Eponine immediately starts laughing.

 

“This isn’t funny,” Enjolras says.

 

“It kind of is,’ Eponine manages to say. ‘Who gets lost on their way back from _Costco_?”

 

“We took a wrong turn!” Grantaire mutters defensively.

 

“Right,’ Eponine drawls. She pauses. ‘What do you want me to do about it?”

 

“Tell us where we are.”

 

Eponine snorts, “Why don’t you just turn on Google Maps?”

 

“Thanks,’ Grantaire grumbles. ‘Like I didn’t already think of that.”

 

“But seriously, how stupid do you have to be to get-“

 

“Bye, Eponine,” Enjolras interrupts.

 

He ends the call and crosses his arms, frowning.

 

“Well,’ Grantaire says. ‘That wasn’t helpful at all.”

 

Enjolras shrugs, “We could try Google Maps. It might be worth a shot.”

 

Grantaire contemplates this for a moment before turning to Enjolras.

 

“What time is it?”

 

“…A quarter to five. We’re going to be late to the meeting.”

 

Grantaire rolls his eyes, “No offense, but that’s the least of my priorities at the moment.”

 

“Then what’s at the top of your priorities?”

 

“Food.”

 

Grantaire pulls the car over to the side of the road and gets out before Enjolras can ask what he’s doing. He comes back in the car a moment later with some of their groceries. He tears open a bag of chocolate and hands it to Enjolras, who is totally not turned on because he did it with his teeth. Not at all.

 

“Thanks,” Enjolras says.

 

“No problem,” Grantaire smiles at him.

 

He opens the water bottle he was holding and takes a drink, and Enjolras is definitely not staring at him because that is definitely not attractive. He draws his gaze back to his bag of chocolates and eats them guiltily.

 

~

 

Half an hour later finds them leaning against the car, sharing a cigarette as Grantaire tells Enjolras stories about the stars, which are just barely visible in the darkening sky. It’s slightly cold out, but Enjolras doesn’t really mind. He never minds the cold when he’s around Grantaire.

 

“And then Artemis killed him-“

 

“Grantaire,” Enjolras says suddenly.

 

Grantaire looks at him, “Yeah?”

 

“Why did you agree to come shopping with me? You didn’t have to.”

 

“I know. I wanted to.”

 

Enjolras hums, “And I’m sorry for getting us lost. Courf told you I’m not that good with directions.”

 

“It’s okay,’ Grantaire smiles. ‘I don’t mind.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. I mean, there’s a reason why we don’t mind getting lost in the things we love-“

 

Grantaire’s eyes widen.

 

“Umm,” Enjolras says.

 

“Crap, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-“

 

Enjolras takes his hand before he can bolt.

 

“How long?’ He asks softly.

 

Grantaire looks at him nervously, “Uhh, not that long?”

 

“That’s not a time.”

 

“Well, umm, four years?”

 

“Four years,” Enjolras repeats.

 

And he thought he had been crushing on Grantaire for a long time. Six months didn’t even begin to compare.

 

“Yeah,’ Grantaire sighs. ‘It’s pathetic, I-“

 

He doesn’t finish what he was saying as Enjolras leans in and kisses him, only a light brush of his lips, really, but a kiss nonetheless. He pulls back, and Grantaire’s just staring at him in disbelief.

 

“Uh,’ He says quietly. ‘Was that supposed to mean something, or do you do this with all of your friends?”

 

Enjolras kisses him again, a little rougher. When he pulls back this time, Grantaire’s smiling at him.

 

“I’m assuming you don’t do this with all of your friends, then.”

 

Enjolras rolls his eyes, “No, you idiot. Just with you.”

 

“Just with me?” Grantaire raises an eyebrow.

 

“I like you,” Enjolras says softly.

 

“I like you, too.”

 

Enjolras kisses him again and brings his hands up to rest on Grantaire’s shoulders. He stopped caring that they were literally on the side of the highway a long time ago, or that they’re still lost.

 

“I want…I want us to be a thing,” He says.

 

“What sort of thing?” Grantaire asks.

 

He knows what Enjolras wants; he’s just teasing him.

 

“A dating thing,” Enjolras clarifies.

 

Grantaire tucks a stray curl behind his ear and smiles, “I think I can do that.”

 

Just as Enjolras leans in for another kiss, he steps back and gestures to the car.

 

“But, first things first, we’re still lost, and I’d like to get home before tomorrow.”

 

“We have food, I don’t see why we should hurry,” Enjolras replies.

 

Grantaire winks, “But we don’t have a bed.”

 

~

 

Enjolras falls asleep a few minutes after they get Google Maps going, but Grantaire doesn’t mind, because he finally has an idea where they are, and how he’s going to get them home. He also has an adorable blonde drooling on his shoulder, which isn’t so bad, either.

 

They arrive at Café Musain an hour and a half after the meeting officially started, all their groceries in Enjolras’ flat. No one questions it when they walk in hand-in-hand, Enjolras still half-asleep. Eponine gives them a knowing look.

 

“There you two are!’ Cosette says. ‘We were worried you got mauled by a bear, or maybe a very hungry cannibal.”

 

Musichetta pats her shoulder, “No, that was just you. The rest of us sane humans were worried you got lost.”

 

“As a matter of fact, we did,” Enjolras sighs, pulling a chair up to their table.

 

Grantaire ruffles his hair, “The only reason we’re here is because I listened to Eponine and used Google Maps. Enjolras was useless, he fell asleep.”

 

“I wasn’t useless,” Enjolras protests.

 

Grantaire winks at him, “Not entirely.”

 

Courfeyrac clears his throat and smiles at them. He knows something happened during their trip, but he’ll wait until later in the evening to ask about it. For now, seeing them manage to communicate like regular humans is enough.

 

“Did you get everything you need?” He asks instead.

 

Grantaire glances at Enjolras and smiles. Enjolras smiles back.

 

“Yeah,’ he says. ‘I did.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly personal experience (yes, I too got lost on my way back from Costco), by the way. Comments and kudos are always appreciated. <3
> 
> I just had to do that Patroclaws pun. :)


End file.
